A Tokyo-based robotics company has donated a new type of "smart mask" to the Ukrainian Embassy in Japan. Capable of translating the wearer’s words into 100 different languages, the masks were provided for use by Ukrainians who fled their country for Japan.
Donut Robotics offered 120 of its C-Face smart mask models to help the Ukrainians better communicate with people in Japan.
Users wear the smart mask over a regular mask. When they speak, the audio is sent to a smartphone via Bluetooth and then translated into another language, which is then shown in text on the phone’s screen.
"We hope this will help alleviate the worries that (Ukrainian) evacuees are feeling,” Taisuke Ono, CEO of Donut Robotics, said.
“We hope that our technology can alleviate some of the international issues, and we would be happy if people who have evacuated to Japan make use of the interpreting function built into the mask,” Ono continued, adding, “I hope that they will find (the devices) useful in communication with others while remaining careful during the pandemic.”
The company said that it is planning to provide a smart mask to all Ukrainian evacuees in Japan who want one.
Currently, the masks are being used at Haneda Airport.
